I'm a beginner but here goes ~ from -What the Buddha taught- by Walpola Rahula.

The heart of Buddha's teaching lies in the Four Noble Truths (CattariAriyasaccani) which he expounded in his very first sermon to his old colleagues, thefive ascetics, at Isipatana (modern Sarnath) near Benares. In this sermon, as we haveit in the original texts, these four Truths are given briefly. But there are innumerableplaces in the early buddhist scriptures where they are explained again and again,with greater detail and in different ways. If we study the Four Noble Truths with thehelp of these references and explanations, we get a fairly good and accurateaccount of the essential teachings of the Buddha according to the original texts.The Four noble Truths are:1. Dukkha2. Samudaya, the arisingor origin of dukkha3. Nirodha, the cessation of dukkha4. Megga, the way leading to the cessation of dukkha

Starting with developing doubt of the four noble truth is not the way of this tradition and according to this traditions, spending times with people who have doubt in fundamental principles would not be useful to reach the stream. Its a more secure and more responsible way that is used here.

Whether you doubt or not, perceptions are used to find one day behind them. That's the way of beings. To cut of the tool first is more a method of some who like to keep their ways as they are. That is also a way of having a feeling of release, but its not lasting.

In regard to the four Noble Truthsthe first is sometimes understood to say "life is suffering."when it doesnt, it says "there is suffering."

This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!Blog,-Some Suttas Translated,Ajahn Chah."Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."

that could easily lead to nihilism or aversion against live, there is no problem with life, there is just becoming (birth) and it's cause which makes life to something that is suffering.

dear hanzze,

life=suffering=samsara=dukka=nama-rupa=mind-body=energy-matter. these all represent a combination of pure mind and matter(or body) the buddhas teachings lead to an experience of pure mind alone free from body and ultimately the cessation of pure mind(nibbana or truth ). if one choses to view this as nihilistic then this would not be right understanding.metta,jason

Can you explain that a little more: "these all represent a combination of pure mind and matter(or body) the buddhas teachings lead to an experience of pure mind alone free from body and ultimately the cessation of pure mind(nibbana or truth )." Somehow I have the feeling that there is a eternalistic view hidden in a nihilistic. Do we need to lose the body first?

In regard to the four Noble Truthsthe first is sometimes understood to say "life is suffering."when it doesnt, it says "there is suffering."

i've come to understand there is no difference in these two statementsmettajason

Well the meaning the two statements conveys is different, 'Life is suffering' leans toward aversion, 'There is suffering' leans toward not taking things personally, non-grasping.Also Suffering is a poor translation for Dukkha which more litterally means unsatisfactoriness; but common usage is suffering so a reasonably acceptable term to use although my preference is Stress as used by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

This offering maybe right, or wrong, but it is one, the other, both, or neither!Blog,-Some Suttas Translated,Ajahn Chah."Others will misconstrue reality due to their personal perspectives, doggedly holding onto and not easily discarding them; We shall not misconstrue reality due to our own personal perspectives, nor doggedly holding onto them, but will discard them easily. This effacement shall be done."

A common mistake beginners make is to think that all desire is craving (tanha) to be abandoned according to the Second Noble Truth. Other desire (chanda) comes under Right Effort in the Fourth Noble Truth.

Ven P.A. Payutto wrote:Contentment

While not technically an economic concern, I would like to add a few comments on the subject of contentment. Contentment is a virtue that has often been misunderstood and, as it relates to consumption and satisfaction, it seems to merit some discussion.

The tacit objective of economics is a dynamic economy where every demand and desire is supplied and constantly renewed in a never-ending and ever-growing cycle. The entire mechanism is fueled by tanha. From the Buddhist perspective, this tireless search to satisfy desires is itself a kind of suffering. Buddhism proposes the cessation of this kind of desire, or contentment, as a more skillful objective.

Traditional economists would probably counter that without desire, the whole economy would grind to a halt. However, this is based on a misunderstanding of the nature of contentment. People misunderstand contentment because they fail to distinguish between the two different kinds of desire, tanha and chanda. We lump them together, and in proposing contentment, dismiss them both. A contented person comes to be seen as one who wants nothing at all. Here lies our mistake.

Obviously, people who are content will have fewer wants than those who are discontent. However, a correct definition of contentment must be qualified by the stipulation that it implies only the absence of artificial want, that is tanha; chanda, the desire for true well-being, remains. In other words, the path to true contentment involves reducing the artificial desire for sense-pleasure, while actively encouraging and supporting the desire for quality of life.

These two processes -- reducing tanha and encouraging chanda -- are mutually supportive. When we are easily satisfied in material things, we save time and energy that might otherwise be wasted on seeking objects of tanha. The time and energy we save can, in turn, be applied to the development of well-being, which is the objective of chanda. When it comes to developing skillful conditions, however, contentment is not a beneficial quality. Skillful conditions must be realized through effort. Too much contentment with regards to chanda easily turns into complacency and apathy. In this connection, the Buddha pointed out that his own attainment of enlightenment was largely a result of two qualities: unremitting effort, and lack of contentment with skillful conditions. [D.III.214; A.I.50; Dhs. 8, 234]From: Buddhist Economics: A Middle Way for the Market Place by Ven P.A. Payutto